


Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince

by thatgirljazz



Series: Still Breathing [2]
Category: Veep (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, Gen, Swearing, alleged sexual harassment/assault, cause it's veep, descriptions of assault are brief
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 00:41:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21528535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatgirljazz/pseuds/thatgirljazz
Summary: Tom James becomes President and his nominee for Secretary of Defense might have an unsavory history with Dan's estranged sister, Madison. As a member of the press, she tries to step forward anonymously to protect herself, but gets thrust into the spotlight. Dan doesn’t want to get involved, but Ben and Amy see it as good press for their budding firm. Depending on how it goes, Selina thinks something similar. AU from S5 episode 2 on.
Relationships: Amy Brookheimer/Dan Egan, Dan Egan/Original Character(s), Original Female Character/Original Male Character, Tom James/Selina Meyer
Series: Still Breathing [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1551610
Comments: 18
Kudos: 10





	1. Headlines

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to the Veep core for all your encouragement. I adore you all! Thank you to everyone who read and fell in love with Margot. She's in this a lot and you finally get to see her with her other half, Madison. Please leave comments and kudos if you so desire! Please read the prequel "I Don't Need Anyone" to get a fuller understanding. It's linked at the top as "previous work."

**Headlines**

**“Tom James Declared President By Senate” by Madison Egan-Bennett**

_“Vice Presidential candidate, Senator Tom James, was voted in as the next President of the United States on Monday. Many expected once President Selina Meyer lost the House vote due to abstention, James would take the presidency from his running mate. Rumors swirled on Capitol Hill that James suggested the abstentions to the Congressmen, but his team, including acquitted political strategist, Bill Ericcson, have denied such claims. President Selina Meyer is quite proud of her would-be Vice President stating “If I could not be president, I’m glad it went to Senator James. I am certain he will continue the legacy I have started.” When asked if she would be his Vice President, Chief of Staff, Ben Cafferty firmly denied it, “President Meyer feels her political prowess is best used outside the White House.”_

**“The Simple Man: A Conversation with President-Elect Tom James” by Leon West**

_“On the eve of the biggest moment of his life, President-Elect Tom James seeks peace and solitude. For a win that would shake even the Founding Fathers, the last-minute addition to the Selina Meyer campaign and reluctant Economy Czar (despite what President Meyer would have the public believe) is actually the saving grace for these United States.”_

** “Former Selina Meyer Operators to Open Political Consultant Firm” by Madison Egan-Bennett **

_“Out of the White House, but still in DC, Ben Cafferty, Kent Davidson, Amy Brookheimer, and Dan Egan have announced they will be taking their combined political power to BCDE (Brookheimer, Cafferty, Davison, and Egan)Consulting. They have leased a building on K-Street and hope to fill it with an impressive roster of clients._

_“I think we can accomplish so much together,” Amy Brookheimer said._

_Dan Egan will be pulling double duty as an occasional correspondent for CNN.”_

**“President James To Nominate Cabinet Members Soon” by Leon West** ****

_“With already an impressive inauguration, the Beltway waits as the tight-lipped James administration vets possible nominees for his cabinet.”_


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bombshell is dropped by President Tom Jones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to Kenny, Safflower, Evie, and Maev for your insight. This will feel a little more serious than Veep usually is, but I'll do my best to balance both. Please leave feedback and kudos if you so desire! Thank you for reading!

Chapter One

_Tears burned in her eyes as she let out a shaky breath. She pressed her palms into the carpet and struggled to push herself up. She fell back down on the first try. Her entire body ached. She touched her throbbing head and pulled back a wet, blood-stained hand. She crawled to her coffee table and grabbed her phone. Her trembling fingers dialed._

_“G-Go? I need you.”_

**10 years later**

“Are we seriously out of fucking coffee?” Amy slams the cabinet shut.

“One of the interns is making a run later. Here,” Dan hands her the cup of coffee he picked up for her on his way over.

She takes it, drinking deeply, and lets out a pleased sigh.

Dan was surprised at how quickly Amy took up Ben’s offer to join them. The defeat had been enough to humble even Dan. It wasn’t like Tom James was going to ask them to stay on. Selina and Gary disappeared after inauguration. Maybe Amy just didn’t want to be left out to sea.

“ _You’re welcome_ ,” he arches an eyebrow.

“Dan, I’m pretty sure me thanking you is one of the signs of the apocalypse,” she huffs as Ben and Kent enter the kitchenette.

“I wanna die first,” Ben shrugs, watching her leave. “Kent can be King of the Rats.”

“Statistically speaking, none of us would survive the initial blast as DC would be one of the main targets. Even so, the air would be so toxic, we would choke in a manner of seconds as the poison-filled our lungs.”

“Jesus Christ, thanks for that,” Ben shakes his head, taking his giant blue thermos with him.

Dan wishes Amy would stop yo-yo-ing back and forth. So, he _nearly_ slept with her sister when he thought she worked for CBS? It was a career move and honestly more embarrassing for him than anyone. He’d even asked Margot about it, but all she said was that he deserved incurable dick warts, so not helpful. Without dealing with Selina’s disasters, maybe they could get back where they were—sexually charged and unwillingly to label anything—like when they were lobbyists.His phone buzzed in his pocket.

**Margot Egan (9:50 AM)**   
**Get away from my sister, you fucking walrus!**

It’s an Instagram on the _Washington Post_ page from yesterday. Dan loves Instagram for his brand, but if it’s not a notification for him, he doesn’t give a shit. Leon West sits next to Madison, his arm around her, pulling her into his side.Her face is plastered with a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. He recognizes it immediately. It’s the photo-ready Egan smile that they all learned at a young age.To an untrained eye, it looks like a normal work photo, but Margot’s right. Dan has to zoom in, but Madison’s clutching her phone on her lap, waiting to bolt.

 **washingtonpost: The political dream team’s ready for anything at the Post. @leon_west @madisoneganbennett**

**leon_west: 4 years later and I still love working with my mentee!**

Dan scoffs. Leon doesn’t know Madison at all. Even though he hates her, Dan knows Leon didn’t teach Madison shit. She has more talent in her little finger than he has in his entire body. Not that he cares, why would he? Maybe if this had been ten years ago when Madison actually listened to him, it would’ve bothered him that someone as scummy as Leon was buddy-buddy with his favorite sister, but now…

**Dan Egan (9:55 AM)**   
**Sounds like a Madison problem. She chose to work with the fucking walrus.**

He puts his phone back in his pocket and disappears into the conference room.

Madison runs a hand down her face, exhausted. She grabs her tea and takes a sip. She grimaces—it’s already cold.

“M,” Leon waltzes over to her desk. She hates that nickname. There are already enough ways to shorten her name.

“Leon,” Madison doesn’t even look up from her computer. Instead, she adjusts the family photo on her desk, making it more visible. It does nothing.

“Get ready to kiss my ring,” he chuckles, crouching next to her.

“You're the Godfather now?” Madison doesn’t even look up from her computer. Leon loves making those jokes.She makes sure they’re only jokes. Her self- appointed mentor taught her about how the Beltway operates including the fact DC men are not exactly clean. He hates Dan and the feeling is mutual, so she figures that had something to do with it including that goading Instagram post.

“I have the shortlist for the cabinet nominees,” Leon gave her a toothy smile.

“Holy shit,” Madison stares at him. “Can I see it?”

Leon hands it over proudly and stands up, looming over her as her light brown eyes scan the document. It’s broken down by position.

“McGregor? Lacey? Donner for Energy? Come on. James isn’t actually considering them, right?” the idea is laughable.

“They’re filler. But General Charles Flanders or this Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Stephenson for Sec Def. That’s another story,” Leon shrugs.

“Arthur Stephenson?” Madison grips the paper and struggles to keep her voice calm.

“He’s kind of a rising star. Unlike Chung, he saved a whole platoon without any camera unfriendly scars and got promoted real fucking fast,” Leon explains.

“Uh-huh,” Madison gets on her feet, but her knees knock together.

“He’d be youngest Sec Def and it would look great for James. We should get an interview.”

“Right,” Madison nodded, not listening.

"You should do it,” he continues.

“Sorry, what?” Madison shakes her head and tries to focus.

“You’d be great at it, M. Hit him with all the questions. See if he’s got some skeletons,” Leon smiles.

Her heartbeat rings so loud in her ears—he sounds like he’s underwater.

“Hey, you okay?” Leon grabs her shoulder, but she moves out of his grip.

She feels really light-headed and the room is spinning. Her legs are giving out.She falls forward, narrowly missing her desk and everything goes dark.

When Dan checks his phone again, Margot has sent him 30 angry emojis, individually. He rolls his eyes.

“Word on the street is James will be announcing his nominees by tomorrow morning,” Ben tells them.

“How much do you wanna bet it’ll just be a bunch of good ol’ boys?” Dan sighs.

“Did you learn anything when we worked with him,” Amy glares at him,” he knows how to play the game. It’s going to be diverse. He’s a loophole president. He needs to nail this.”

“Please, he’s untouchable,” Dan smirks.

“Just because Leon West’s foaming at the mouth to suck him off doesn’t mean everyone is a Tom James fan. He can’t have the press saying that Selina would’ve picked a more vibrant cabinet,” Ben adds.

Dan hates being treated like the political baby in the office. Ben and Amy would agree and gang up on him while Kent spoke in binary.

“She and Gary still opening that leather goods shop in Arizona or whatever the fuck they’re doing?” Dan scoffs.

“I haven’t heard anything,” Ben shrugs.

“It’s going to take a miracle to get her back on her feet and seeing as those don’t exist—she’s not showing her face any time soon,” Kent says.

“It was hard on all of us,” Amy admits.

“Things are a little easier without her setting fire to the fucking fire truck,” Dan hisses.

“He is right,” Ben brings his giant blue thermos to his mouth.

When Madison wakes up, she’s in a stark white room and a bed. She blinks a few times, trying to get her eyes to focus.She sees the shape of someone next to her and her body goes rigid until she recognizes the familiar face in a white lab coat. His blue eyes light up at the sight of her.

“Nick,” she coughs.

“Maddie, you’re awake,” Nick heaves a sigh of relief.

“How did I get here?” she looks down at her arm and sees the IV.

“Leon called an ambulance,” he explains.

“Is he here?” her eyes dance around the room.

“Fuck, no.Your boss reminded him your _emergency contact_ works here,” Nick offers his hand and she takes it.

“Emergency contact?” Madison chuckles, “Not father of my children, favorite booty call, or husband?”

Nick isn’t laughing, so her smile fades.

“They said you passed out?” he gives her hand a gentle squeeze.

Madison swallows hard, trying to remember what happened. It went by so fast. She licks her dry lips and Nick hands her a plastic cup of water. She drinks deeply and looks up at the TV on the wall in front of her.There he is: Arthur Stephenson.He’s in a blue tailored suit to bring out his eyes. At six foot, he's easy to spot especially with reporters following him and the breeze blows his thick, dark hair.It’s like he planned it. She coughs, spitting up her water.

“Lieutenant Colonel, what do you think of the rumors that you might be on President James’ list for Secretary of Defense?” a petite woman asks.

“It’s all very flattering, but I really don’t have a comment,” Arthur flashes a dazzling smile. He looks like a Disney prince. Just like how she thought he was. He even does a royal wave before getting in his car.

“Fuck,” Nick jumps to his feet and unplugs the TV.

Leon wants her to interview him. It all comes back and she feels sick all over again. Madison heaves forward and gags. Nick places a bedpan in front of her as she vomits. Her heart feels like it’s going to burst out of her chest. She gags again, but nothing comes up. She wants to scream—cry—anything—but she can’t.

“Baby, breathe, please,” his eyes flicker from her to the beeping monitor.

She can’t. Every time she tries to take a deep breath, it feels like breathing in smoke.

Madison can’t focus. She watches her hands start to shake. She feels like she’s going to die even though she knows she won’t.She doesn’t even notice Nick leave the room and return with the doctor.

“She’s having a panic attack—”

“I know. Just give me some room, Nick,” she says softly.

With great restraint, he nods and backs up, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“She’s not allergic to diazepam, right?”

“No, she’s not,” Nick answers immediately.

“Breathe like me,” the doctor takes slow, deep breaths.

Madison does her best to imitate her, poorly. It feels like all the air has left her lungs.

“Now, this will help you calm down.”

The doctor takes a syringe out of her lab coat and injects it into the IV port on her wrist. It burns through Madison’s veins, but soon her tense muscles start to relax. Her eyelids grow heavy and she can’t keep them open. She’s asleep.

Back at the firm, Ben and Kent have been bickering over who their next clients should be. Selina was right about that. It is Bette Davis versus Joan Crawford. It's becoming white noise to Amy, but Dan still gets annoyed by it. After hour two, Amy looks at the clock.

“Well, I’m going to lunch,” Amy stands up.

“Good idea,” Ben says.

Amy walks out and Dan follows her.

“Eating lunch by yourself at your desk?” he’s practically breathing down her neck.

“Nope,” Amy doesn’t look at him.

“So you’re actually taking a lunch?” Dan almost laughs.

“Yeah, _actually_ ,” Amy folds her arms across her chest.

“Where are you going?” Dan’s already plotting how to crash her lunch.

“Just around here,” Amy shrugs, not wanting to give him a single detail.

“Hot date?” Dan’s tone is sarcastic.

“Yes,” Amy tilts her head.

“What?”

Dan stops walking and Amy can’t hide her smile.

“With your sister.”

“Which one?” Dan looks offended.

She just stares at him.

“I barely know Madison.”

“Why is Go in town?”

“Something about a kid’s recital or something.”

“Huh.”

“You’re not invited,” Amy walks away.

When Amy arrives at the restaurant, Margot already has an iced tea. Her large stylish light blue coat is draped on the back of her chair.

“Hey, Amayyy, baybayy,” Margot beams at her.

“Hey, Go. Sorry I’m late. Dan interrogated me about it,” Amy takes a seat.

“He’s not coming, right?” Margot looks behind her.

“Fuck no,” Amy scoffs.

“Thank God,” Margot sighs.

“He got me coffee today,” Amy looks at the menu.

“He’s bribing you,” Margot takes a sip of her drink.

“It didn’t work,” Amy’s shoulder tense.

“Of course not. But at least he didn’t _actually_ fuck your sister. He’s done it before,” Margot offers.

“Fucked your sister?” Amy blanches.

“We’re from New York, not Arkansas. Jesus.In high school, he had this one girl on his arm when he ran for class president? He got nominated and then fucked her sister cause she was on some voting committee,” Margot struggles to remember.

“Did he win?” Amy tries to hide her interest.

“Nope. Some girl named Tracy beat him. The sisters fought in the cafeteria and it was hilarious,” Margot giggles.

Amy isn’t surprised that Dan has been Dan for a very long time. She didn’t know what she expected out of that story. At least he lost.

“How’s work?” Amy hates small talk and knows Margot is bound to change the subject soon. She knows Amy doesn’t really give a shit about the life of the rich and famous without any political power.

“Fine. Oh, my friend, Jonathan did your old boss’s hair the other day,” Margot doesn’t look up from her menu.

“You have a friend in Arizona?” Amy puts her glass of water down. Why would a high profile hairstylist be in Arizona?

“No, LA,” she corrects.

“Huh, Selina in LA,” she has a hard time picturing it.

The waitress comes by. Amy gets a salad and Margot gets a burger. She knows Amy will want some fries, so she opts for that instead of a healthier side. They don’t get to see each other often and she wants to make the most of it.

“So, how long do you think Dan will be buying me coffee?” Amy asks.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Margot answers with a laugh.

The way Margot laughs makes Amy look at her. She sounds…surprised. Dan never surprises Margot.

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t explain it. He’s very…attached to you.”

“Please. He nearly fucked Sophie.”

“Yeah, but he saw it as a strategic move. And you’re _still_ working with him. So, pot meet kettle,” Margot arches an eyebrow.

“It was a good opportunity after we lost.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

The waitress arrives with their food. Amy takes a stab at her salad, silently taking out her frustrations on it while Margot munches on her burger. On the TV, Bill Ericcson keeps deflecting about the cabinet noms on CNN.

“A hot voice should not belong to such a bland white bread face.”

“Go!”

“What? I wish everyone in Washington was as hot as you. I’d actually care about politics. Instead, you get this phone sex operator and the human fucking string bean from New Hampshire. Though, Tom James is kinda sexy in an older professor kinda way. I’d let him teach me something,” Margot winks.

“Jesus, Go," Amy's cheeks burn," He needs to nominate his cabinet already. It’s fucking torture."

“Yeah, cause we were totally talking about that,” Margot rolls her eyes.

Amy eyes Margot’s plate and she pushes it towards her.She wishes she had ordered what Margot did. It looks delicious.

“No, I’m good,” Amy stabs her salad again.

“Take a fucking fry, Ames babes,” Margot chuckles.

The footage switches over to various talking heads with different potential nominees on the screen.

“What the fuck?” Margot gasps.

Amy looks back at the TV. It’s Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Stephenson.

“Oh, he’s definitely in the running,” Amy gives in and takes some fries.

“Why?” Margot’s eyes are still on the TV.

“Lieutenant-Colonel Stephenson’s has an impressive military career, looks like a fucking 1950s postage stamp, and can string a sentence together. He’s basically the walking definition of ‘All American’,” Amy takes more fries than she should, but Margot stays silent. She’s clenching her jaw.

“Not a fan?”

“No.”

“You just said you wanted an attractive person in politics.”

“No comment,” her tone is venomous and Dan isn’t even around. 

“Go, are you okay?” Amy tries to make eye contact with her, but Margot stands up.

“I’m getting a drink.”

“It’s not even 2 pm.”

Margot just walks off. She orders a shot of whiskey and downs it. She pulls up Madison’s work number on her phone and dials.

“Madison Egan-Bennett’s desk,” a man answers.

“Um, where is Madison?” Margot asks.

“And who is this?”

“Her sister, Margot Egan.”

“Oh, this is Leon West. She’s at the hospital.”

Margot’s heart clenches in her chest.

“What the fuck happened?”

“We were talking about the potential nominees and she passed out.”

Margot licks her lips and closes her eyes.

“I’ll come get her stuff,” she clears her throat.

“Okay, do you wanna know which hospital she’s at?” Leon asks.

“Um? George Washington? The one her husband works at?” Margot snaps.

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

“Thanks,” Margot hangs up.

She rushes back to the table and throws on her coat. Amy stares at her. She looks pale.

“I gotta go,” Margot flags down the waitress. “We’re gonna need boxes and the check as soon as possible.”

The waitress nods and walks off.

“What’s going on?” Amy has never seen easy-breezy Margot like this.

“Twin emergency,” she dials on her phone. “Nick! Mads is in the hospital? What happened? Are you with her? Good. I’m gonna get her stuff. Yeah. See you soon. Love you too.”

“Your sister’s in the hospital?” Amy takes the check from the waitress. She can take care of this.

“She got triggered at work and passed out,” Margot tries to keep her voice calm.

“Is she okay?”

“Her husband’s with her. She’s knocked out right now. I gotta go to _The Post_. She’ll flip out if she doesn’t have her work laptop,” Margot gets up.”I talked to Leon—”

“Gross, Leon? I’m coming with,” Amy stands up.

They’re ushered into the offices pretty quickly. Amy spies a picture of Madison with a tall dark-haired man and two kids on her desk. He has the daughter on his shoulders and Madison’s bowled over laughing with the son. She’s never met any of her family. They look truly happy and not the picture-perfect kind. It’s weird to think of someone related to Dan being so domestic and normal.

“Jer took that,” Margot tells her. “He tried to get them to pose, but Mads liked this better."

Before Amy can say anything, Leon comes over to them.

“Why is Amy Brookheimer with you?” he stares at Amy.

“Hello to you too, Leon,” Amy wants to roll her eyes.

“We were at lunch,” Margot starts packing up her sister’s things.

“It’s like you’re picking up Madison’s homework from the teacher after school,” Leon chuckles, leaning closer to Margot.

“Is this everything?” Margot asks.

“Yeah. Really though,” Leon touches Margot’s shoulder,” I hope she’s okay. I need my partner in crime back.”

“Thanks,” Margot gives him a curt smile and holds back an eye roll. “I’ll come back for her car.”

Leon walks them out, droning on about how great Madison is. Amy shouldn’t be surprised, but seriously. No wonder she has that picture of her family on her desk. He needs to cool it.

They get inside the cab before he can talk anymore.

“Jesus Christ, he has a massive hard-on for Madison,” Amy scoffs.

“Yeah, fucking walrus mustached fuck,” Margot opens the laptop back and sees the list of nominees. There are two copies. “Here, just don’t say who your source is.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, for coming with me. It’s not like you’re gonna leak.”

They pull up to the firm and Amy steps out.

“Ame?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t tell Dan about Madison. She wouldn’t want him to know.”

“Really?” Amy thinks that’s weird. “What’s their deal?”

“No deal. Dan’s an asshole to her. That’s it,” Margot hands her the leftover bag. “I saw you eyeing my burger. I don’t have cooties.”

“Thanks again for the list. I hope your sister is okay,” Amy takes the bag.

“Thanks. Raincheck?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Margot shuts the cab door and it drives off.

Amy waltzes with the tentative list of President James’ nominees.

“Don’t ask me how I got it, but take a look at this,” Amy hands it to Ben.

“Good find. If it’s boring, it’s filler,” Ben scans it quickly and slides the sheet down.

“Isn’t Arthur Stephenson a bit young?” Kent asks.

“Yeah but fresh eyes, new perspective,” Dan shrugs.“Flanders is old news.”

“Hear anything about his chances at _the Post_?” Ben looks at Dan. “What does your sister know?”

“No fucking idea, I haven’t talked to her since she came here for that interview,” Dan looks back at the list.

Amy wants to say something, but decides against it.

“That was good press,” Ben nods. “Ames, got some good quotes in there.”

“For a reporter, she’s very level headed. No ego,” Kent agrees.

“Can we stop talking about Madison?” Dan groans.“She’s a pain in the ass, okay?”

Amy, Kent, and Ben share looks, but stay silent.

Madison feels groggy as she wakes up. She wants to stay asleep.

“Yeah, you’re on the list. You’re a lifesaver, Go. Thanks,” Nick’s voice is quiet.

“Nick,” Madison opens her eyes.

“I gotta go. She just woke up. You too,” Nick hangs up his phone. He can’t help but smile at her. “Hey, cutie.”

“Hey,” she smiles back and reaches for his hand.

She just wants to look at him for a while with his big blue eyes full of concern and the fresh wrinkles on his forehead. He probably hasn’t moved since she got here. He’s reliable like that. He makes her feel safe. He’s always made her feel safe.

“I’m here.”

She squeezes his hand and he returns the pressure.

A sudden sting of panic hits her heart as she sees the time on his watch.

“The kids—”

“Go came by to get your keys, so she could get your car from work. She’s picking them up.”

“Your patients—”

“Handled. This is kind of an emergency.”

“Emergency? I’m being—”

“Completely normal.”

“Are you gonna let me talk?” Madison raises her eyebrows.

“Not if you’re trash-talking my wife,” he cracks a smile.

“Smooth,” Madison rolls her eyes.

He brings her fingers to his lips. She smiles.

“Oh, she’s awake,” the doctor walks in the room.

“Yeah, she woke up a little bit ago,” Nick replies.

“Thank you, mouthpiece,” Madison rubs her eye with her other hand. The doctor laughs.

“I see we’re doing a little better. I’m Dr. Swati Souri.”

“Hi.”

“Nick, can you step outside just for a minute?”

Madison shoots him a look. She doesn’t want him to go.

“It’s okay, Maddie. It’s protocol,” he kisses the back of her hand before leaving the room.

“So, this hasn’t been a great day for you,” Dr. Souri sits down next to her.

“No,” Madison licks her lips.

“You passed out at work and then you had a panic attack. Do you have a history of panic attacks?”

“I had PTSD. I thought it was gone.”

“Were you triggered today?”

Madison swallows hard, nodding.

“And you feel safe at home?”

“Yes,” Madison sighs,” Nick is very, _very_ safe.”

“Good,” Dr. Souri writes something down,” we know him as a great guy, but you never know.”

“I understand,” Madison nods.

“When you were asleep, he watched our nurses like a hawk. Never seen him like that,” Dr. Souri laughs. “He’s usually very calm.”

“Yeah, if it’s me or the kids, he gets….intense,” Madison chuckles, biting her lip.

“You’re very blessed,” Dr. Souri smiles.

“I am,” Madison nods,” Can he come back in? I feel better with him here.”

“I’ll get him,” Dr. Souri walks away.

Nick comes back and takes his place next to Madison.

“I think you should follow up with your regular doctor and take tomorrow off,” Dr. Souri instructs.

“I’m fine, really,” Madison tries to sit up. “I have a lot of work to do.”

“Two days off,” Dr. Souri sighs, “and I’m writing a note.”

“She’s gonna add a third if you keep fighting her,” Nick smiles.

“Okay,” Madison sighs.

“You can go once you feel more awake. Feel better."  
  
“Thanks.”

“See you, Nick.”

“Bye, Swati.”

Madison looks like a kid, pouting.

“They will survive two days without you,” Nick chuckles.

“I just—”

“Doctor’s orders.”

Madison huffs.

“There’s something wrong with you Egans. You’re the only people I know who hate time off,” Nick smirks.

“I’m gonna wipe that smirk off your face,” Madison leans over the bed and kisses him. His thumb grazes her cheek and she sighs. There was a time when she hated how much she needed him, but not anymore. Now, he’s like breathing.

At home, Madison shrugs Nick off once they get in the door.

“I can do it,” she sighs.

Nick puts her coat away and stands in front of her.

“Look, Maddie, I’m the beta to your alpha and I love every fucking second of it,” he brushes the hair away from her face,” You’re a strong, feminist woman, but you did have a shit ton of valium pumped through your system, so I’m gonna help you upstairs, okay?”

“Fine,” she slings an arm around his neck and tries to hide her smile.

He tucks an arm under her knees and swoops her up. She laughs.

“I can walk,” she giggles as he goes up the stairs.

“And I can pick you up,” Nick sets her down on their bed.“You want anything?”

“No, I’m okay. I’m just tired,” Madison changes into the sweats she has tucked behind the pillow.

“Okay, I’ll be downstairs with Go and the kids,” he kisses her hand.

Madison nods and tries to sleep.

Nick must’ve told the kids she was sick because they don’t come barging into her room like usual. She looks at the clock. It’s 9:30pm. They should be in bed. She gets up to check on them. On the landing, she can hear Nick and Margot talking and she moves down the hallway. Grace is fast asleep in her room, holding onto her plush unicorn. Madison tip toes over and gives her a kiss on the forehead. She doesn’t even stir. She sleeps just like Margot.

Madison knocks on Gideon’s door before walking in. He’s tries to hide the book he was reading, but it falls on the floor. Madison picks it up.

“You should be sleeping, Gid,” she puts it on the nightstand.

“I just wanted to—”

“ _The Golden Compass_ will still be there in the morning.”

“Fine,” he huffs in an all too familiar way.

“Hm?”

“I mean—okay,” he chews on his lip,” Ma, are you feeling better?”

“Getting there,” she tries to give him a kiss, but he squirms away. “Oh, too cool for your Ma?”

“I am nine, Ma.”

“So big,” Madison teases and sneaks a kiss on his forehead. “Love you, buddy.”

“Loveyoutoo,” Gideon grumbles.

Madison will take it and shuts the door. She goes back to her room. She should say hi to Margot, but she’s so drained. She grabs the glass on her nightstand and takes another valium, hoping she has a dreamless sleep.

In the morning after the kids are at school, Madison goes downstairs. She hugs Margot immediately.

“Thank you for taking care of my babies,” she sighs.

“Of course,” Margot holds her a little longer.

Nick makes himself useful and makes Madison a cup of tea. She rarely drinks coffee after having Grace. He doesn’t know how she does it with a five-year-old. He’s mainlining caffeine at this point.

Breakfast is quiet and Madison knows it's because they're walking on eggshells because of her. Madison goes into the living room and turns the TV on when they’re done. The ticker across the screen lets her know that Arthur is indeed the nominee for Secretary of Defense.Her stomach twists as she starts to shake with anger.

“Fuck you!” she yells.

Nick and Margot come running and look at the TV.Madison throws the remote on the ground. Margot rushes over and holds her as she cries. Nick shuts off the TV and puts the remote on the table.

“I gotta do something, right?” Madison pulls back from her.

“We could talk to Dan,” Nick offers.

“No, not Dan,” Madison says almost immediately.

“What about Amy? I know you don’t know her that well, but—”

“No,” Madison sighs.

“You have to tell someone in politics. That’s the only way to stop it,” Margot bites her lip.

“I’m not coming forward publicly. We don’t need that attention,” her wheels are already turning.

Nick sits next to her and puts out his hand. She laces her fingers with his.

“I’ll do some research and then do it anonymously.”

“Whatever you wanna do,” Nick squeezes her hand.

Madison goes to a feminist congresswoman who says she will contact the proper people. She feels a little lighter knowing it’ll be handled. She can go into Gracie’s piano recital without any worries. She does a great job, especially for her age. Margot brings her toy flowers which she loves. She plays with them the whole car ride home.

Madison tucks her kids in and takes another valium. Nick gets in bed next to her.

“This okay?” he whispers.

Madison presses her back against his chest and he puts an arm across her stomach. She sighs, feeling safe again.

“Perfect.”

She falls asleep quickly after that.

Madison feels Nick shaking her and she opens her eyes.

“Baby, I’m sorry, but you gotta wake up.”

“What?”

“Look outside.”

Madison gets on her knees and lifts up one of the blinds. News trucks have swarmed their house with reporters and cameras. Her heart drops to her stomach.

“What the fuck?”

Before Nick can say anything, her phone vibrates on the nightstand. It’s…Dan.


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan finds out exactly what happened between his sister and the new nominee for Secretary of Defense

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the big four, but especially to Kenny for all her support for this chapter! Please let me know what you think and leave kudos/comments if you so desire. For a better understanding of this chapter, I would recommend you read the prequel "I Don't Need Anyone" which is linked at the top as "previous work".
> 
> CW: Brief descriptions of sexual assault

_The room was too bright.Madison didn’t like it. Margot pretended to read a magazine about celebrity gossip, so she didn’t stare at Madison, but she wasn’t really paying attention. There was a knock on the door._

_“Come in,” Madison straightened up in the chair._

_A middle aged woman walked in._

_“I’m Dr. Rudolph,” she offered her hand and Madison took it gently, “are you Madison?”_

_“Yeah,” Madison nodded,” this is my sister, Margot.”_

_“And you’re comfortable with her being here?”_

_“Of course.”_

_“Miss Egan, you’re pregnant.”_

_Margot cursed under her breath._

_“Right,” Madison clenched her jaw._

_“I see in your chart that you’re 19. You do have the option to terminate, if you don’t want to carry to term,” the doctor told her._

_“Right,” Madison rubbed her hands against her thighs._

_“You’ll have to make a decision in a few weeks. I’ll leave you two to talk, but just let them know what you want for your next appointment,” the doctor left._

_Margot stared at her sister._

_“I have to get an abortion.”_

_“Yeah, we gotta take care of this.”_

_Madison nodded silently._

_The day of the procedure, Margot took her back to the clinic. When Madison was given the consent form, the pen shook in her hands. She just stared at the paper._

_“You okay?”_

_“I don’t—”_

_“Just sign your name.”_

_“I don’t—I can’t.”_

_“Does your hand hurt or something?”_

_“No, Go, I don’t want this.”_

_“Are you serious?”_

_“Go, please don’t—I need someone on my side—” Madison felt the tears coming._

_“Okay, okay,” Margot wrapped her arms around her,” I’ll support whatever you wanna do.”_

**Present Day**

Dan wakes up to pounding on his door. He looks at the clock. It’s 5:30 AM. What the fuck? He stumbles to his feet and rubs his eye with the heel of his hand. 

“What?” he opens the door, but doesn’t unlock it so the gold chain stretches across the gap. 

It’s Amy and her blue eyes are as round as saucers. 

“Oh, hey, Amy.”

“Let me in.”

Dan raises his eyebrows and unlocks the door. She walks in.

“There’s an emergency.” 

“An early morning booty call emergency?”

Amy shakes her head, but doesn’t even look upset with him. It kinda freaks him out.

“You need to get dressed and we gotta go to the office. As soon as fucking possible.”

“Who died?”

“Just get dressed.”

He gets ready as quickly as he can (what Margot calls the “Turing Test” regimen which he’s sure she stole from Madison because Margot doesn’t know who Alan Turing is). He grabs his bag and follows her to the elevator.

“Have you checked the news?”

“You just woke me up.”

“Good.”

“Did Margot finally kill Kim Kardashian?”

“No.”

“Did someone assassinate Jonah?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

Instead of checking his phone, Dan studies Amy’s tense shoulders and clenched jaw. He’s seen her flipping out thousands of times between the EEOB and the White House. She isn’t dazed like when her dad was in the hospital. Instead, she’s alert. Too alert. 

They walk into their office building and one of the administrative assistants (Karen?) looks at Dan.

“Is it true, Mr. Egan?”

“Is what true?”

“Carol, please get me a fresh notepad for the meeting,” Amy tells her.

Kent and Ben are already in the conference room. 

“He hasn’t seen it,” Amy says as she sits down.

Kent slides an iPad over to Dan. It’s an article from _the Washington Times_. It’s a picture of Arthur Stephenson with a headline that reads:

**“Reporter AccusesSec. Def. nominee, LieutenantColonel Stephenson of Sexual Misconduct”**

“Gross, but Washington’s full of ‘em. Remember Rapey Reeves?” Dan shrugs. Misconduct could mean anything from a comment about a tight skirt to an actual assault. Stephenson wasn’t one of their clients, so he didn’t know what they were supposed to do about it. Not worth missing his morning run for this or a real shower.

“Keep reading, Dan,” Amy snaps.

_“Details of the accusation are still unclear, but the source is The Washington Post’s own Madison Egan-Bennett. She met with Representative Duncan this past week to report the incident sources say.”_

Dan stares at the paper. Madison doesn’t even know Stephenson. How could she have met him? This article’s shit. There’s no time frame, no actual allegation. Did she interview him and he made a pass at her? If anything serious had happened, Madison would’ve told him, right? Margot would’ve ranted to him about committing a murder. He would _know_. 

“I don’t talk to Madison,” Dan put the paper down. “But it sounds like she’s handling it.”

“Fuck, that’s cold,” Ben stared at him.

“Look, we don’t know anything about her accusations. I texted Margot, but she’s not even up yet. You’re an Egan, we’re gonna get questions about this,” Amy explains, “We _need_ to talk to her.”

“Fine,” Dan pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. He pulls his phone out and dials. Madison picks up and sounds timid. He doesn’t like it.

“Hey,” her voice says. He imagines her chewing on the inside of her cheek like she used to when she’d stress over her exams. 

“Hey,” he doesn’t know what to say. 

Amy notices this and rushes over to him.

“We need her to come here. We can send an Uber,” she whispers harshly in his ear.

“We’re sending a car. Get the gremlin—”

“Gremlins.”

“What?” Dan covers the phone.

“Your sister has two kids.”

“She does?”

“A son and a daughter.”

“Shit, okay, gremlins.”

“Okay.”

Dan expects more of a fight from her. She hates it when he calls her son a gremlin which is exactly why he does it.

“What’s your address?” Dan realizes he doesn’t even know where she lives.

“2820 Bellevue Terrace NW,” Madison says.

“Okay, we’ll see you soon,” Dan jots the address down on the legal pad Amy slides down to him. He wanted to ask how she could swing that kind of place, but even he knew it wasn’t the best time.

Madison walks in 20 minutes later with her husband and her kids. He realizes he hasn’t seen her son or Dr. Four Eyes since Casey’s engagement party. That was almost 10 years ago. Her son has brown hair, brown eyes, and skinny arms and legs. He’s all sharp angles. The daughter’s basically Madison’s clone with blonde hair and brown eyes. She’s barely awake. 

“Hi, everyone, this is my husband, Dr. Nick Bennett,” Madison explains. 

They murmur greetings at him, leaning into the awkward situation.

“Gideon, Grace, this is your Uncle Dan,” Madison sighs.

She looks exhausted. He rarely sees her out of professional attire these days. Her blonde hair is in a messy ponytail and there’s shadows under her eyes. She didn’t shower either. Dr. Four Eyes isn’t all elbows and knees like he was before. He has more muscle on him and his hair is shorter. He must’ve realized he was a 4 and his wife was a 10 and stepped up his game. Dan doesn’t understand why she married a nobody doctor. 

“Hi,” Gideon groans. 

Grace just yawns.

“Is there any room where they can sleep?” Madison asks.

“Yeah, they can take this office,” Amy nods,” it has a couch and a big chair.”

Madison follows her, leaving Dan with Dr. Four Eyes. 

“Dan,” he nods.

“Nick,” Dan folds his arms across his chest,” been a while. Still a doctor?”

“Yep. Still an asshole?” Nick sighs.

“He does that professionally,” Ben walks over.

“Look, just try to reel it in for Maddie’s sake,” Nick looks daggers at Dan.

“You’re not the most cordial to your sister,” Kent offers.

“Calm down, Dr. Four Eyes. You gonna sucker punch me again?” Dan laughs. The dude lifts a few weights and now he’s trying to be macho?

Nick clenches his jaw, but stays silent.

“Wait, he punched you?” Amy walks back in with Madison who huffs. 

“A long time ago. Lucky shot,” Dan huffs.

_It was the morning after Dan got drunk and fucked Casey’s fiancee. Dan was the last to come down to breakfast. He was incredibly hungover. Margot was feeding Gideon and he kept clapping._

_“Can the gremlin keep it down?” Dan groaned, running a hand over his face._

_Madison grit her teeth and her nostrils flared, but she didn’t reply._

_“Make sure he eats that blueberry,” she said instead. Gideon grabbed it with his hand and shoved it in his mouth._

_“I don’t want kids, but he’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” Margot beamed._

_“Go Go!” Gideon laughed._

_“And who’s that?” she pointed to Jeremiah._

_“Jer.”_

_“And that?”_

_“Ma.”_

_“And who’s that?”_

_“Ick.”_

_“Okay, we get it, he knows people’s names,” Dan snapped._

_“Hey, this is a child, jackass,” Margot spat._

_“Then make him shut up,” Dan shot her a look._

_“He’s trying to cause a fight, Go. Ignore him. C’mon, baby, let’s see Grandma,” Madison sighed and took Gideon to the patio where their mother, Ava, was having tea._

_“It worked, the gremlin is gone,” Dan just stared at his orange juice._

_Madison walked back over to the table._

_“So, you must have some smarts left, huh? You caught a doctor.”_

_Nick got to his feet and Madison touched his shoulder._

_“Or he’s a fucking idiot to get involved with you.”_

_“Can you shut the fuck up?” Nick snapped._

_Margot and Jeremiah shared looks. Dan smirked and stood up._

_“Hey, Doc, how does it feel to get some other guy’s sloppy seconds?”_

_It happened so fast. Nick rushed over to Dan and his fist connected with Dan’s jaw. Dan stumbled back, shocked._

_“Oh. My. God,” Madison just stared._

_Furious, Dan swung at Nick who dodged him. Dan went to hit him again, and Nick swatted his arm away causing Dan to hit himself in the face._

_“Holy shit!” Margot covered her mouth with her hands._

_Dan held onto Nick’s back and they ran into the wall. They were the same height, so they were just pushing each other until they fell on the ground._

_“Take your shirts off,” Jeremiah yelled as they rolled around on the floor trying to land a blow._

_“This is kinda great,” Casey chuckled._

_“What is going on here?” Ava snapped with Gideon in her arms._

_The men froze at the sound of her voice. Nick got to his feet and Dan followed. He slapped Nick one more time and Madison marched over to stand between them. Dan backed off immediately. He knew Madison was fast and fought dirty._

_“Dan called Madison ‘sloppy seconds’ and Nick was defending her honor,” Margot gave a bow with a flourish._

_“I see,” Ava pursed her lips,” Dan, you have a long drive ahead. It’s best if you get started as soon as possible. Madison, clean Nick up.”_

Dan shook his head, coming back to the moment. He’s certain if he hadn’t been hungover, he could’ve killed Nick easily. Amy walks to the conference room and his sister and her stupid husband follow. They all take their seats. He feels himself getting restless. He just wants this over with. 

“What did he do and when?” Dan asks, point-blank.

“Excuse me?” Madison glares at him.

“Did he hit on you or something?”

“Yep.”

Madison folds her arms across her chest. Dan groans.

“What happened?”

Her honey brown eyes narrow.

“Why did you bring me here? Why do you care?”

“You’re not the only Egan in DC.”

“So, you wanna cover your ass. You’re the worst brother in the world.”

Dan grits his teeth. 

“I need to know what happened, so I know what to say.”

“Just say we hate each other and you don’t know anything about it.”

“Maybe I _will_.”

Madison stands up, so Dan stands up. They look like they’re about to come to blows. Her hand curls into a fist. It’s a good thing there’s a table between them.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah!”

“Okay,” Amy stands up,” this isn’t helping anyone.”

“Sit down, babe,” Nick rubs Madison’s arm. 

“Do you want anything to drink?” Ben asks. 

Dan is surprised at how his voice sounds. Ben doesn’t even really know Madison. Right now, he sounds…nice. 

“Water, if you have it,” Madison swallows. 

“Dan, can you get that?” Ben gives him a pointed look.

Dan gets up and opens the fridge in the conference room. He puts the water in front of her. She takes a sip and Nick rubs her back. 

“Someone leaked my meeting with Representative Duncan,” Madison puts the water down.

“Do you know who?” Ben asks.

“Probably some staffer. Not that it matters.”

“Did you see the article in _the Washington Times?_ ”

“Yeah.”

“It’s very light regarding the misconduct.”

“Mhmm,” Madison grabs the water again,” that’s because I told Duncan privately. She was supposed to bring it to the FBI. I’m sure Stephenson will bury it."

“And how do you know Arthur Stephenson?”

“We met when I was at Georgetown. He gave a guest lecture.”

“So your relationship was academic?”

“No,” Madison shakes her head. 

“Romantic?”

“We went on _one_ date.”

“Okay.”

Ben’s trying to coax a frightened animal from under the porch and Dan doesn’t have the patience for it. He needs to know what happened.

“What happened on the date?” Dan asks. 

Madison shakes her head again.

“I don’t—I don’t want to tell you.”

“C’mon, you’ve been beating up handsy boys since you were five,” Dan tries to get to her to look at him and her eyes are on the table.

“I’m sorry. I can’t do this,” Madison gets up. She brings her hand to her eyes as she rushes out. 

“Do you know what happened?” Dan turns to Nick.

“Yeah,” Nick is already on his feet. She’s trained him well.

“Will you tell us?”

“That’s not how marriage works. I’m not gonna tell you if she doesn’t want you to know,” Nick sighs and goes after her.

“Can you keep it together?” Amy shoots Dan a look.

“She won’t talk to us if you’re breathing down her neck,” Ben adds.

“Sorry. She just drives me nuts,” Dan sighs.

Her eyes are red when she returns and she’s breathing heavily. Nick guides her back to her chair. Now, Dan’s getting a little worried. Madison’s so tough. What could’ve happened to her? Why won’t she tell him?

“It’s hard to talk about.”

“We understand,” Ben tells her.

“We went to dinner and a classical music concert. He walked me back to my apartment.”

Madison looks over at Nick who squeezes her hand. Dan’s only ever seen her this emotional once before and she ended up slapping him. She’s supposed to be to the calm one, Margot’s the emotional one, and he’s the Ice Man.It’s disturbing. Dan hates how his stomach twists into knots. He needs to know what happened or he’s gonna get an ulcer. He doesn’t like feeling like this. He can feel dread pooling in his stomach.

“He said he needed to use the bathroom, so I let him come up. He kissed me and then he wouldn’t stop,” Madison licks her lips.

“I’m only asking because I used to be a lawyer. Did you say no?” Ben asks. 

“I couldn’t.”

“Why?”

“He choked me.”

Dan tenses. She got away, right? That’s why she hated him. Because he tried to attack her and she got away?

“He choked me the _whole_ time.”

“No…” Dan wasn’t hearing this. This didn’t happen.

“After, I went to the hospital and stayed overnight. When I got home, he was there. He hit me and did it again. He threatened to kill me if I reported it. Margot took me back to the hospital. Seven weeks later, I was pregnant.”

Dan can’t see. There’s a ringing in his ears and his face feels hot. His heart pounds against his ribs. His mind can’t focus.

_“Dan, can you just trust me? Please? I know you’re upset with me. I know, but please, trust me.”_

All she wanted was support and he called her stupid.He was so upset with her—he didn’t give her a chance. That’s why Margot got so protective. No wonder their mom embraced Gideon. Even someone as judgmental as Ava Egan couldn’t hold this against their daughter. They all knew. He feels like he’s going to be sick.

“He’s Gideon’s father?” Ben looks at Amy who stumbles in her role as a diligent note-taker. 

“ _Nick_ is Gideon’s father. He adopted him.”

“Yes, but biologically—”

“Doesn’t mean shit. Nick has raised Gideon since he was 2.”

“He called you Kit, didn’t he?” Dan finally looks at his little sister.

Her brow furrows as the tears flood her eyes.

“That’s why you wanted to be called Madison. Cause he called you Kit.”

“I need to check on my kids,” the tears fall as Madison gets to her feet. 

“Yeah,” Nick nods.

They walk out together. Dan can see Nick rubbing her shoulder.

“Well, fuck,” Amy shakes her head.

“I wasn’t expecting this,” Kent sighs.

“When I saw her son, I did the math.”

“How old was she?” Kent asks.

“19,” Dan clears his throat,” she was 19.”

“Jesus,” Amy puts her hand over her mouth.

“In this climate, it would be dangerous for our image if Dan came out against his sister,” Kent taps his stylus against his tablet,” whereas if we offered public support, it would be very favorable to female politicians who want to work with us.”

“How long have you had that stored in your fucking microchip?” Ben glares at him.

There’s a minute or two of silence before Amy breaks it.

“It would look good for us. What do you think, Dan?”

Dan jumps to his feet and rushes out of the conference room. He walks over to the office where…his nephew and niece are (he’s not gonna get used to that). He hears the door close and sees Nick and Madison in the hallway. Nick holds her tight. He’s whispering something in her ear as she buries her face in the crook of his neck. He’s never seen anything like it. He can’t imagine his parents ever embracing like that. He doesn’t know how it makes him feel, so he just clears his throat. 

“Can I talk to you?” Dan scuffs his foot against the carpet like he’s 16 and she’s 10 again. 

Madison picks up her head and Nick turns but doesn’t look at Dan.

“Yeah.”

“You sure?” Nick keeps his eyes on her.

Madison nods and Nick gives her hand a squeeze before walking away. 

What was he supposed to say? Their father never uttered the words “I’m sorry” to anyone. Egans don’t apologize and Dan definitely doesn’t.

“Does, um, your son…”

“Gideon.”

Madison looks at him in a way that he hasn’t seen in 10 years. It’s so familiar. 

“Gideon, does he know?”

“No.”

“Were you going to tell him?”

“I wanted him to be older.”

The air between them feels so different. It’s not sparking with hatred and resentment. It’s something beyond Dan’s matchstick-sized empathy. He hates it.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“C’mon, Dan.”

“I could’ve—”

“What could you have done? This isn’t us. This isn’t our family.”

“But Margot, Mom, they—”

“They’re not you. You’re practically short-circuiting right now.”

Their brown eyes meet. Words are failing him. He loathes feeling desperate and needs to channel his anger towards something. He keeps picturing Stephenson’s giant frame holding skinny Madison down. He wants to puke. 

“That’s all you see,” Madison sighs,” isn’t it?”

“Madison—”

She wipes her eyes and pushes past him. She’s already sitting next to Nick when Dan makes it back.

“So, what are we going to do?” Madison folds her hands in front of her.

“He made a statement,” Amy reaches for Kent’s iPad and hands it to Dan.

It’s an article from CNN.

**“Stephenson denies sexual misconduct allegations”**

There’s a video that Dan scrolls past. He reads aloud:

“I need to address the allegations against me. I can confirm that I did date Madison Egan briefly ten years ago. We met at Georgetown when I was giving a lecture and I admired her go-getter attitude towards complex political issues. She already had the makings of a journalist. I asked her out. We went to dinner and a concert. Unfortunately, we weren’t a match and parted ways. It didn’t work out. I’m deeply saddened to hear Madison thinks something inappropriate happened on our date. I’m the proud son of a single mother. I can’t fathom treating a woman with disrespect. I sincerely hope Madison is able to receive the help she dearly needs. Thank you for listening.”

“That motherfucker,” Nick clenches his jaw. 

Everyone looks at Madison whose face is unreadable. Dan looks back at the tablet.

“He’s implying I’m unstable.”

“It’s not going to be the last of it. He’s gonna go after you with everything he’s got,” Amy’s already writing something on her paper, “ You need to respond as soon as possible.”

Madison’s phone vibrates on the table.

“It’s Go.”

Amy nods. 

“Hey. I’m with Dan and Amy,” Madison puts it on speaker.

Margot sighs.

“How are you gonna fix this?” Margot’s voice demands. 

“We’re gonna do an on-camera statement,” Amy says.

“Jer and I will be there in an hour. I’ll swing by the house and get some clothes.”

“Get something for Nick too. We need to present a united front. Madison and I can work on the statement. Dan, can you call CNN?”

Dan just stares at the table. It feels like a terrible dream and he’s waiting to wake up. 

“I’ll call,” Ben offers. 

On the dot, Margot and Jeremiah arrive with three dresses and two suits. Jeremiah handles Nick in the same room where the kids are. Ben and Kent move around the office with the camera crew. Amy re-reads the statement and Madison nods. Dan just stares at his shoes. He can hear them, but it’s like they’re very far away.

“I can have the notes, right?” Madison asks as Margot lines her eyes. 

“Yeah, we’ll have it in front of you on the podium,” Amy nods. 

“One of the worst nights of my life and the entire world is gonna know about it,” Madison blinks back her tears. 

“We’re all here for you. Ma is on a plane,” Margot looks over at Dan and pauses,” we are gonna get through this, Mads.”

Under the hot lights, Madison looks like an insect under a magnifying glass. She fidgets in her navy dress. Nick stands silently next to her.Margot did a good job keeping the hair and makeup simple. Margot and Dan stand near the edge of the shot. It was Amy’s idea. Madison grips the sides of the podium.

“Hello,” Madison swallows hard,” I’m Madison Egan-Bennett. I am going to read my statement and I will not be answering questions at this time.” Her voice is shaky, so she clears her throat. She takes a deep breath. 

“10 years ago, I was sexually assaulted by Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Stephenson while on a date. When I came home from the hospital, he was in my apartment. He beat me and assaulted me again. He threatened to kill me if I went to the police. When I saw his nomination, I knew I could not stay silent. I had to come forward because I didn’t want someone like him to be involved in our nation’s top security matters. I am willing to take a lie detector test and I ask that Congress lead an investigation before they consider him as a nominee for Secretary of Defense. Thank you.”

The reporters start clamoring. Nick puts his hand on the small of her back and guides her away while Ben takes the podium. Dan was supposed to make this statement, but he just can’t.

“Here at BCDE Consulting, we will be using all of our resources to assist Mrs. Egan-Bennett. She has our full support. That'll be all at this time.”

Back in Los Angeles, Selina Meyers shuts off the television and looks at Gary Walsh.

“We need to get back to DC.”


End file.
